Zelenskyy Rejects Wartime Elections as Ukraine Faces $27 Billion Defence Funding Gap
Updated
Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 23
Zelenskyy Rejects Wartime Elections as Ukraine Faces $27 Billion Defence Funding Gap
3 articles · Updated · Al Jazeera English · Aug 23
Summary
Zelenskyy called wartime elections a “huge risk” that could split or even destroy Ukraine, rejecting ex-defence chief Mykhailo Fedorov’s public demand for a vote despite a legal wartime ban.
Fedorov, 35, made the first open push for elections after his July dismissal, arguing democracy cannot be “held hostage by Russia,” but experts say voting during war is logistically and physically unworkable.
Russian strikes overnight killed 2 people in Donetsk, wounded 8 more in Kharkiv and damaged 141 homes, as a drone also hit a passenger train in Odesa region without causing casualties.
Ukraine has received 264 Patriot missiles in 2026, down from 364 in 2025 and 675 in 2023, pushing Kyiv to target Russian ballistic launchers directly and pursue domestic Patriot production.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine faces a $27 billion defence funding gap this year; Norway pledged 85 billion crowns for 2027, while France and Germany agreed to provide additional air-defence systems and interceptors.